Surrey readies to walk to end MS

Residents of Surrey will bring attention to multiple sclerosis (MS) by participating in the Scotiabank MS Walk on Sunday, April 27 at Bear Creek Park.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk kicks off at 10 a.m.

There are 3K, 5K and 6.5K routes, as well as early registration the previous day (April 26) from 2-4 p.m. at the Newton Library.

In B.C., more than 6,000 people will unite in an effort to raise over $1.3 million in pledges and bring awareness to the fact that 7,300–10,000 people in the province live with MS.

In Canada 100,000 people have MS, and three more Canadians are diagnosed each day.

Among the local walkers will be Barbara Atchison, team captain of the Surrey Self Help Coasters, a team that has participated in the walk since it expanded to Surrey in 2000.

The team is formed of members of an MS self-help group and those close to them.

Atchison says the spirit of the MS Walk is contagious, whether it's through pledges or moral support – "even those who are not there physically help contribute."

The Scotiabank MS Walk takes place in more than 160 communities across Canada with.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord. It is the most common neurological disease of young adults in Canada. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40, and the unpredictable effects of MS last for the rest of their lives.

The MS Society provides services to people with MS and their families and funds research to find the cause and cure for this disease.

For more information or to register for the event please visit mswalks.ca or call 604-602-3208.

Participants can create a team of family, friends and co-workers. Contact Stephanie Mosher, Team MS Support, at 604-602-3208 or stephanie.mosher@mssociety.ca

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